Last week I saw a patient who was having difficulty with losing weight. The young woman was in her thirties with little to no medical problems. The patient was very frustrated and wanted to start a treatment course of Mesotherapy to help facilitate her weight loss.

NOTE:Mesotherapy is a medical specialty which has gained popularity for treating weight gain and cellulite.

She has been steadily gaining weigh over the last three years. She knew of no reason why she was gaining weight and could not understand why this was happening. She was involved in a regular exercise program three to four times a week and was eating what she considered to be healthy. Her diet consisted primarily of protein and vegetables.
At the end of the visit and deciding she was a candidate for Mesotherapy, the patient casually mentioned she had a history of migraine headaches and she wanted to know if Mesotherapy would make her headaches worse.

I inquired about her headaches and how she was treating them. Her doctor put her on a course of Inderal 20mg once a day, which she has been taking for about three years. She was very happy with the success of the Inderal and even went as far as doubling her dose daily.

Suddenly the whole picture started to make sense. Three years ago she started taking Inderal, a medication which belongs in a class of drugs known as beta blockers. Beta blockers are routinely used to treat patients after heart attacks, high blood pressure, stage fright and apparently as prevention for migraine headaches.

Medications in this class block the beta receptor on the heart, which slows down the heart rate and decreases blood pressure. When prescribing these medications physicians tend to ignore the presence of Beta receptors on fat cells. The beta receptors on fat cells mediate the breakdown of fat. Once someone takes a beta blocker it indiscriminately blocks the beta receptor in the heart and on fat cells. This is the reason why patients taking this class of drugs find it extremely difficult to lose weight.

If you are taking a medication for high blood pressure or any cardiac disease you should look up the class of medication to see if it is a beta blocker. If it is, you may want to ask your doctor if it is possible to safely switch to another class of medications.

I have seen patients who were taken off beta blockers suddenly they started losing weight with diet and exercise, which was previously difficult to shed.

Pioneering the use of Mesotherapy in the U.S. to combat cellulite, Dr. Lionel Bissoon has helped thousands of women experience cellulite-free legs and buttocks. Complete with case studies, before-and-after photos and straightforward advice, his new book, The Cellulite Cure, offers hope to cottage cheese thighs everywhere. For more information, go to www.cellulite.md

You’ve seen him on Oprah. Now, in this Diet.com exclusive, “The Makeover Guy” Christopher Hopkins is here to teach YOU how to Stage Your Comeback with his makeup, fashion and hair tips that’ll turn you from blah to WOW!
Get ready to look better and feel better fast. Although the subtitle of Hopkins' hot new book is "A Complete Beauty revival for Women Over 45" his expert advice will work for any woman who has let herself go.

And that includes overweight women of any age or size.

"In order for any diet or any 'comeback' to be successful you need to do what I call the 4 A’s," Hopkins tells Diet.com.

"You must ASPIRE and tell yourself, 'I want it!' To do this I urge you to come up with 'trigger trippers' you look at daily for motivation. These can be your skinny jeans, a photo of you on the beach when you were at an ideal weight, or a photo from a magazine that motivates you).

"The next A word is APPROVE. Tell yourself, 'I deserve it!'
To do this you should blast belief systems and expose excuses that are holding you back. Write down your excuses and look at them often.

"The third A word is ASSUME. Tell yourself, "'I will have it!' You need to affix in your mind a state of belief that assumes you will reach your goal.

"The final A word is AFFIRM. You need to tell yourself, 'I am it!' Write down your affirmations in the present. A few good examples: I am a size 8... I am wearing a little black dress to my class reunion... I look slim and svelte!"

Hopkins goes much more in-depth in Chapter 1 of his beautifully illustrated and easy-to-read book Staging Your Comeback (HCI Books). During my recent interview with Hopkins, I got a sense this guy is really passionate about helping women return to the "good old days" -- and he's savvy enough to give advice that will improve your looks without damaging your bank account!

Hopkins believes that as you age, you become more beautiful but often feel less attractive. His book can change that sad cycle.

It's not that women don't care about their looks. It's more like they've been dealt other important things that need their nurturing energy.

"They've taken a backseat to everything and everyone else," he says. "They know what to do, but don’t have motivation to get off butt and do it.

"Most women put everything and everyone in front of themself. Children are a great personal attention diverter. The years pass and suddenly a woman will look at herself in the mirror and say WHOA..."

Ready to come out of the shadows and take center stage again? The step-by-step strategies and detailed advice in Staging Your Comeback will teach you to:

2. Designate the time!
"You need to plan everything from grocery shopping to workout time to the snack breaks for small meals throughout the day."

3. Deliver the good!
"Read your revival guide and affirmations daily. Follow your routine. And countdown backwards to your goal date with tasks leading up to that big day when you will be at your goal. One example is 'August 23 wedding: I weigh 20 pounds less.' Now, work your way back to the current day with realistic goals for your journey."

Hopkins says you could also put ways to dress slimmer while you’re on the path.

Hopkins has more great advice than I have space for this feature. So do yourself a big favor and get a copy of his book today.

Hopkins is such a treasure trove of look-good advice for Diet.com members, you can bet I will do my best to bring him back for more insights such as: Use shapewear to help slenderize, minimize your midsection, understand what can make your butt look bigger, and other fun stuff like hand bag rules.